The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-07-20

far more intelligence than is usually
attributed to them"
HANG your scythe out of the reach
of the little ones. In one day last week
we saw the record of two serious cut.
tings as the result of scythe-handling
by children.
MANURING grass-felds near a dairy
sometimes leads to tainting the butter,
which would otherwise be sweet and
unobjectionable, so as to destroy its
original flavor.
PROFESSOR BERRY of Iowa prefers
silos constructed of scantlings-two by
ten feet, boarded on both sides over
building paper, giving dead-air space
to the old-style silo made of stones.
RUN green clover, rye, wheat, oats or
corn through the feed-cutter set to cut
in half-inch lengths and feed to fowls
confined in yards. This is the soiling
system applied to poultry-keeping and
works admirably, as those know who
have tried il.
A CUNNING statist estimates that
three weeds of moderate size and
growth will occupy as much ground,
draw as much nutriment from it, take
in as much of the life-giving sunlight
and of the food-bearing atmosphere as
a good stalk of corn.
THE COW that will produce three
hundred pounds of butter per year is a
possibility, and every good dairyman
can and ought to realize the fact. She
can be kept with very little, if any
more, expense than the COW that pro-
duces one hundred pounds.
THE plague of flies can be avoided
by rubbing the horses and cows all
over with sponge dipped in soap-suds
in which little carbolic acid has been
mixed. This is not only humane, but
it saves money. Animals do better
and eat less if they do not worry.
WHEN the stoves were put away
last spring | was careful to save all
the SCOT from the pipes and fues
and have found it quite effective in
keeping off the cucumber beetles. They
don't like it one bit. The little black
beetle that riddles the turnips and
radishes don't like it either. Cor.
Household.
YOUNG turkeys are often killed by
overlooking. Give them little cracked
grain and one meal of worms and in
sects per day, keeping the hen confined
and letting them run where there is not
too much grass to wet them. They
should be kept under shelter entirely
on rainy days. Before they are fort
night old the hen can be allowed to
run, but she should not be let out in
the morning until after the dew is off
the grass.
THE practice of cultivating sunfowers
is said TO be rapidly increasing. Years
ago their growth was confined pretty
much TO the gardens of cottagers and
small farmers, and they were deemed a
good anti-malarial plant, equal at least
to the boosted eucalyptus. Sunflowers
in bloom are not only ornamental about
the premises, but they have good
sanitary effect, and besides, the seed is
valuable for poultry food and as basis
for oil manufacture.
ACCORDING to TickS Magazine the
American apples received in England
last year sold for e700.000, or nearly
S3,500,000. OF this amount the Cana
dian fruit brought 100000 Wick
also says the prospect for the apple
crop in this state (New York; is fair.
Northern Spys, Greetings and Russets
will give an average yield; that of
Baldwins will be light, and, as the
orchards consist most largely of this
variety, the whole average yield will
probably be near half crop. OF most
other kinds of fruit there will probably
be good supply
CLOVER does not start very early in
spring, and for time it pumps the sur
plus moisture out of the subsoi while
leaving the surface just damp enough
to insure the termination of weed
seeds. Then later its rapid spreading
growth covers the ground with deep
mat, while its roots dry out the soil so
that all the annual weeds that have
terminated perish if the clover seeding
has been sufficient. A good clover
catch will do more than poor cultiva-
ton to keep down thistles and quack-
grass, though it will not destroy them.
Liberal seeding with clover is, there
fore, not only good for maintaining
fertility, but also for clearing land of
weeds whose presence destroys the
value of land, however rich it may be.